No. 4 UCLA will travel to Provo, Utah, to face No. 19 BYU in a women’s soccer match on Saturday, August 23. The game marks the Cougars’ home opener and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
UCLA enters the match with a 1-1 record after falling to No. 6 Tennessee in its home opener despite outshooting the Volunteers 17-1. Tennessee scored in the first half and held off UCLA’s attack, with goalkeeper Cayden Norris making five saves.
BYU started its season with a comeback win over Minnesota and then drew with Cal Poly. Ellie Walbruch leads BYU in scoring after transferring from UCLA and missing last season due to injury. Another former Bruin, Mackenzee Vance, is also among BYU’s top players.
The Bruins hold a slight edge in their all-time series against BYU at 4-3-1. In recent meetings, each team has won on its home field: UCLA claimed victory in Los Angeles last year while BYU won in Provo two seasons ago.
Several new faces have joined the Bruins this season. Eight players made their debuts in the season opener, including six freshmen and two transfers—defender Jennie Immethun from TCU and forward Oruha Hayashi from Iowa Western. Immethun was named Big Ten Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after helping secure a shutout win at Georgia.
Three Bruins—Emma Egizii, Jennie Immethun, and Lexi Wright—were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List for their performances and potential impact this season. All three returned from injuries that sidelined them during much of last year.
Lexi Wright was also nominated for the inaugural Allstate NACDA Good Works Team for her contributions off the field, including work with pediatric cancer patients through Zoe’s Goal-Scoring Against Childhood Cancer and other volunteer efforts.
The incoming freshman class includes several U.S. Youth National Team players as well as Egyptian Youth National Team player Laila Edris. Freshman Meila Brewer will miss upcoming games due to her call-up to the U.S. Under-17 National Team for matches in Spain later this month.
UCLA is currently ranked No. 4 nationally by both United Soccer Coaches and Top Drawer Soccer polls and is scheduled to play six teams ranked in the Top 25 during the 2025 season.
Fans can follow UCLA Women’s Soccer on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok (@UCLAWSoccer), or Facebook (/UCLAWSoccer).
